There are mashed potatoes, and then there are smashed potatoes . . .
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Cheese Lover’s Broccoli Cheese Soup
Today is National Cheese Lover’s Day. It is really more of a suggestion to have something with cheese or to eat a platter of cheese than it is a particular day. For particular days, you’ve got Cheese Doodle Day in March, or Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day in April or even Cheesecake Day in July. There’s even an entire month dedicated to Goat Cheese. Today is dedicated to the pleasure of cheese any way you care to slice it. Have some cheese with your lunch or nibble on some cheese as a snack.
With all that room for interpretation, I got to thinking about how great it would be to enjoy a nice, piping hot bowl of cheese soup with soft, tender vegetables. Be it served in a soup bowl or a hollowed out sourdough round, you can’t go wrong.
Cheese and Broccoli Soup
3 cups broccoli florets, chopped into bite-sized pieces (reserving 1/2 cup for garnish)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup fresh carrots, shredded
1 large onion, diced
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup heavy cream
4 Tbsp all purpose flour
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
2 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded (reserving 1/2 cup for garnish)
1 1/4 cup Asiago Cheese, freshly grated
Chop broccoli florets into bite-size pieces, reserving 1/2 cup of the florets for later.
Fill a large pot with the chicken broth, and 2 1/2 cups of the broccoli.
Peel and chop onions. Add to the pot. Grate carrots. Add to the pot. Press garlic into the pot. Bring mixture to a steady boil over medium-high heat, stirring every few minutes.
Cook for about 6 or 7 minutes until all the vegetables are tender.
In a separate large pot, add the butter and flour. Whisking constantly over medium heat, create a roux.
Pour roux into the broth-vegetable mixture. Mix well.
Slowly add heavy cream in a stead stream. Reduce heat to low and allow soup to simmer.
Add garlic powder, onion powder, nutmeg and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add both 1 1/4 cups of the cheeses and continue to mix until blended and the cheese has melted.
Place reserved broccoli into the microwave and steam until tender, about 2 minutes.
Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with steamed broccoli and remaining cheddar cheese
Serve with warm bread.
Greek Inspired Lemon Chicken
This recipe comes to us from Pampered Chef. It’s been years since I last attended a Pampered Chef party. What about you? Those were always fun. A great excuse to get together with my female friends, have a few laughs and eat some good food. I’ve got a ton of Pampered Chef gadgets. Everything from Apple Peelers to Zester – literally everything from A to Z. When I make my Slow Roasted Kahlua Pig without the Pit, you better believe I use my big clay roaster from Pampered Chef. It has served me well over the years.
This recipe is popular among clay bakers. The clay baker allows the chicken to get a golden color that seems to be lacking in most glass casserole dishes. I suppose you could finish the dish off under a broiler for a few minutes to achieve that same golden roasted goodness.
The only things missing from this delicious dish would be a nice salad and maybe a loaf of warm, buttery bread or sourdough dinner rolls. Of course, a glass of wine is always welcomed.
Greek Inspired Lemon Chicken
3 Lemons, divided
¼ cup Olive Oil
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
¾ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
8 New Red Potatoes
1 medium red bell pepper
1 medium red onion
8 oz white mushrooms
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Using Zester, zest two of the lemons. You should get about 1-1/2 tablespoons of lemon zest. Set zest aside.
Cut one of the zested lemons in half, squeeze out the juice. You should have about 2 tablespoons of juice.
In a mixing bowl, combine the zest and the juice from the lemons with the olive oil.
Peel and press garlic over the lemon mixture.
Add oregano, salt and black pepper. Mix well.
Arrange chicken in a rectangular baking dish with a rim. (Pampered Chef has some very nice clay baking dishes).
Brush chicken breasts with the lemon mixture.
Cut the potatoes in half and set aside.
Cut the bell pepper into strips and set aside.
Cut the onion into wedges and set aside.
Thinly slice remaining lemon and set aside.
Combine the potatoes, bell pepper strips, onions, lemon slices and mushrooms with the remaining lemon juice mixture in the mixing bowl.Toss together to coat well.
Arrange the vegetables on the pan around the chicken. Bake in heated oven for 1 hour or until breasts reach 180 degrees at their thickest part.
Bush chicken with pan juices after 30 minutes of roasting, and again at the end.
Overnight Mexican Pork Chorizo
Those of you who have been along for the ride know that Hubby’s all-time favorite foods are Mexican. You know that I swear by good quality Chorizo, either the stuff found in the Latin Markets or that you make yourself. I’ve shared with you my recipe for awesome tacos with home-made Chorizo. It’s great stuff, except for one tiny little thing. My original recipe needed 72 hours to fully ferment. Yeah, three days.
Authentic Hueveros-Rancheros
Such bright, beautiful colors! Wonderful flavors. A little kick to spice up the day. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, or so I’ve been told. Rarely do we have time for breakfast during the week. I wish I could tell you that we make up for it on the weekends, but the truth of the matter is MAYBE with a little luck, Sundays might include breakfast at home.
Braised Broccoli with Orange Cream Sauce
One of the veggies I try to eat on a regular bases for general good health is Broccoli. Broccoli poses a few issues in our house. I seem to be the only one who truly appreciates Broccoli. I like it raw as part of a vegetable dipping platter, especially during the holidays. It’s so easy to make Christmas-themed vegetable platters when working with broccoli. My guys don’t mind broccoli as part of a stir-fry supper. However, when I’m serving a big plate of broccoli as the vegetable side of the evening, it usually receives a lukewarm reception. The one exception is when the broccoli is burred beneath an ocean of cheese sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good cheese sauce same as the next guy. But I also like broccoli all naked and green.
One thing we can all agree upon is the flavor of oranges. When I came across this recipe for braised broccoli in an orange cream sauce, I knew instantly we needed to add this to our collection. Hopefully your family will love it as much as we do.
Braised Broccoli with Orange Cream Sauce
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 cups broccoli florets cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
In 4-quart Dutch pan bring water and 3/4 teaspoon salt to boiling.
Add broccoli. Return to a boil and cook, covered, for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Drain broccoli and transfer to a serving bowl.
To the now empty pan, add the cream, juice, and 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper. Heat through over medium heat.
Spoon orange cream over broccoli; sprinkle almonds. Serve and enjoy.
Conchiglie (Shell) Pasta Kissed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Red Wine
This spicy Pasta dish has been one of those recipes that has been on and off my menu planner for weeks now. Most of the ingredients are those that are always on hand. You would think it would have been a snap to make. Convenience made it just the opposite. Since I didn’t need to shop for anything, it was easy to push this meal out when life does what it does and things got in the way.
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The Feast of Saint Anthony and Hot Buttered Rum
January 17th is the Feast of Saint Anthony the Abbot and the blessing of domestic animals. Saint Anthony the Abbot was a hermit-saint in the fourth century who died in the deserts of Egypt.
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Chicken and Italian Cheese Stuffed Lasagna Roll-Ups
Have you ever had a Lasagna Roll-Up? These things are awesome! Great for supper time, pretty as an appetizer or to serve up something different at your next pot luck. I’ve made Lasagna Roll-Ups using just an Italian Cheese filler, with Italian Sausage, a traditional meat filling and with today’s share, cooked chicken. Any cooked chicken will do, from last night’s left over roasted chicken to a rotisserie chicken from your local deli.
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Filipino Beef Steak
Coming up with something blog worth every day isn’t exactly easy. There’s the recipe, the sampling, the back story to write. I strive for two new postings every day. Last year, I managed a whopping 690 posts. Wow, that’s a lot of words!
Pizza Sub Meatball Sandwiches
It seems from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, the home cook is going ninety to nothing. Big meals, little meals, pot lucks, gifts from the kitchen, cocktail hour. It’s a never ending list of delicious to dos. January is a welcome time to slow down. Sip hot coco. Sit by the fire. Enjoy the moment. Still, the family has to eat, right? So give em pizza!
This dish is a simple twist on the usual Italian Meatball Sandwich. Instead of a marinara sauce or spicy pasta sauce, the sauce is a jar of Pizza Sauce. The Meatballs themselves come from the freezer (how convenient) – Johnsonville Italian Meatballs. Leave it to those sausage experts over at Johnsonville to come up with a delicious, handy frozen meatball packed with Italian goodness.
Pizza Sub Meatball Sandwiches
1 large Jar Pizza Sauce
16 Johnsonville Italian Meatballs, frozen cooked (from 16-oz bag)
4 hoagie buns, split
1 cup shredded pizza cheese blend
In 2-quart saucepan, heat cooking sauce and meatballs over medium heat about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated. Remove meatballs from sauce and set aside, leaving the warm sauce in the pot.
Split each hoagie bun. Brush top and bottom of bun with pizza sauce. Sprinkle a little pizza cheese on each half. Place 4 meatballs into each sandwich. Top with more cheese.
Place sandwiches on a foil-lined baking sheet. Pop under the broiler just long enough for cheese to melt.
Serve and enjoy!
A Southern Menu to Honor a Great Man
At first, I felt very intimidated when I sat down to plan a special menu for MLK Day. After all, I am viewed as a white woman by the world around me. My father is a mix of native American and Irish-English decent. My mother came from Filipino-Spanish ancestry with a dash of Chinese for good measure. While I consider myself to be a Heinz-57, I am perceived as a white woman. An old white woman who can still remember a time when “Whites Only” was the norm. An old white woman whose education began in a school without “color” and all the faces looked like mine. What could I possible understand about honoring a man of such greatness?
French Pressed Cinnamon Breakfast Blend
Let’s talk coffee for a moment. Years ago, I use to get this wonderful Vienna Roasted Coffee that had a hint of cinnamon. The beans themselves were roasted with cinnamon, giving a flavor that was oh so divine! The beauty of a bean that has been roasted with cinnamon is that you can use it in a French Press. (Try sticking a “stick” of anything into a French Press and – well let’s just say there is no “press” to the “press”. Cannot be done.
Six-Can Dump Soup
I have heard of dump cakes. This is the first time I’ve heard of dump soup. It reminded me a lot of my Five Easy Steps to Italian Chicken Soup, only much easier. All it takes is a can opener, a stove and a pot (or a microwave and a big bowl).
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There are a number of reasons why people start blogs . . . it’s a creative outlet that doesn’t require much in the way of discipline. Having attempted to write a fictional novel based on fact, I can attest first hand that unless you can lock yourself away in a study someplace, it’s easy to become distracted and wander off. Blogging, sharing recipes or thoughts of the moment – whatever – can be accomplished despite the distractions and demands of life in general. You can wander off, returning when ready and pick up where you left off.
Welcome to Rosemarie's Kitchen 